Wollechirchehaw

See Mary (St.) Woolchurch.

Wollewharf

See Wool Quay.

Wolsies Gate

A water gate in the roparie, in parish of All Hallows the Less, of later time called Wolfes Lane, but now out of use (S. 42).

"Wolsieslane "lay between the tenement of Sir John de Pulteneye and the tenement of Bartholomew Denmars and was a public way to the Thames. In 17 Ed. III. complaint was made that it had been stopped up (Lib. Cust. II. p.448).

From this description it would appear to have lain west of the lane called Cold Harbour, between that lane and Haywharf Lane.

Stow says the lower part of the lane was built on by the Earl of Shrewsbury and the other part stopped up and built on by the Chamberlain of London (S. 42).

Afterwards called Great Wood Street and Little Wood Street (S. 292), and down to The 19th century.

Great Wood Street was the southern portion from Cheapside to Addle Street, and Little Wood Street the northern portion to London Wall.

Stow makes the following suggestion as to the origin of the name: first that the houses in this street had always been built of timber and not of stone. (This hardly seems a sufficient explanation when so many other houses must have been built of timber.) Secondly, that it was named after Thos. Wood Sheriff, 1491. But as shown above, the street received its name long before this date.

Kingsford suggests (ed. Stow II.338) that wood was sold here, and this is quite a possible explanation, other streets in the locality such as Milk Street, Honey Lane, being named after the commodities sold in them, or in the great market of Cheap to which they were adjacent.

Pavements of tesseræ were found here in 1843 and 1848, and fragments of Gaulish pottery beneath the foundations of the Old Crosskeys Inn in 1865. Roman bricks said to have been found in St. Alban's Church in 1632.

Wood Street Compter

On the east side of Wood Street, in Cripplegate Ward Within.

One of the Sheriffs' Prisons.

First mention: The Compter in Bread Street was removed to Wood Street in 1555 (S. 298) and Greyfriars' Chronicle (Cam. Soc.), p.96.

Burnt in the Fire and rebuilt.

Removed to Giltspur Street in 1791.

The office of Keeper was bought and sold prior to 1766, but the appointment was not purchased in that year.

See Compters.

Wood Street Square

West out of Hart Street at No.3 at its junction with Monkwell Street, in Farringdon Ward Within (P.O. Directory).

Wood Yard, Gravel Lane

Wooden World Court

North out of Bell Alley, east of Bridgewater Gardens on the northern boundary of Cripplegate Ward Without (Horwood, 1799-Lockie, 1816).

Woodmongers' Hall

In Duke's Place, Aldgate, called the Duke's Hall (Wheatley)

No other reference.

Woodmongers' Hall

On the east side of Paul's wharf hill (i.e. Bennet's Hill), in Castle Baynard Ward, between Paul's Wharf west and Ball Alley east (Leake, 1666).

First mention: A capital house called Woodmongers Hall at the west end of "Poore widowes alley" adjoining the College of Harrolds on the north, opening to Paul's wharf hill on the west with ingress and egress to St. Peter's Hill, 1587 (Lond. I p.m. III. 1o8).